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THE HINDU EDITORIAL : DECEMBER 7, 2018

Dear Banking Aspirants,

THE HINDU EDITORIAL – December 7, 2018, is one of the must-read section for the competitive exams like IBPS Clerk 2018, Canara Bank PO – PGDBF 2018 and IBPS SO 2018. These topics are widely expected to be asked in the reading comprehension, Cloze Test or Error Detection in the forthcoming exams. So gear up your Exam preparation and learn new words daily.

A) Shielding witnesses: on protection scheme

A robust witness protection scheme will strengthen the criminal justice system

The witness protection programme is at last in place. Pending legislation by Parliament, the Supreme Court has asked States to implement a scheme framed by the Centre to protect witnesses in criminal trials from threat, intimidation and undue influence. Given the abysmal rate of convictions in the country, it is inexcusable that it took so long. The need to protect witnesses has been emphasised by Law Commission reports and court judgments for years. Witnesses turning hostile is a major reason for most acquittals. In the current system, there is little incentive for witnesses to turn up in court and testify against criminals. Besides threats to their lives, they experience hostility and harassment while attending courts. The tardy judicial process seldom takes into account the distance they have travelled or the time they have lost in attending court, only to be told they have to return another day. As Justice A.K. Sikri points out, the condition of witnesses in the Indian legal system is “pathetic”, as it takes them for granted. It is gratifying that the court has played a proactive role in getting the Centre and the States to come up with a concrete proposal. The Centre deserves credit for coming forward to suggest that its draft witness protection scheme be introduced by judicial mandate instead of waiting for formal legislation.

In its minutiae the scheme appears workable, but its efficacy will be confirmed only with the passage of time. It broadly classifies witnesses in need of protection into three types based on the threat assessment. A witness protection order will be passed by a competent authority. The scheme is to be funded by budgetary support from State governments and donations. This is at variance with the Law Commission’s recommendation in 2006 that the Centre and the States share the cost equally. Basic features such as in camera trial, proximate physical protection and anonymising of testimony and references to witnesses in the records are not difficult to implement. The real test will be the advanced forms of identity protection: giving witnesses a new identity, address and even ‘parentage’, with matching documents. All this needs to be done without undermining their professional and property rights and educational qualifications. The introduction of the scheme marks a leap forward. Until now, there have been ad hoc steps such as those outlined for concealing the identity of witnesses in anti-terrorism and child-centric laws. A few dedicated courtrooms for vulnerable witnesses, mostly child victims, are also functional. However, expanding such facilities and implementing a comprehensive and credible witness protection programme will pose logistical and financial challenges. It will be well worth the effort, as the scheme could help strengthen India’s tottering criminal justice system.

B) Quick retreat: on French protests

The French government rolls back a planned fuel tax hike, but the protests are widening

French President Emmanuel Macron’s reforms programme could be at risk of losing steam in the wake of weeks of violent countrywide protests triggered by a proposed increase in the fuel tax. Paradoxically, as head of the centrist La République En Marche party, he had swept to power on a pledge of modernising the economy and restoring popular trust in politicians. Public anger against the fuel tax has escalated into a broad-based opposition to the government’s overall policies. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe initially said the duty hike would be deferred for six months. But on Wednesday the government cancelled the tax proposal altogether, arguing that a levy that was meant to induce motorists to go green was not worth the price if it undermined social cohesion. Mr. Philippe has also suggested that the introduction of additional safety checks on cars due to take effect next year could be delayed. The U-turn on measures to reduce CO2 emissions suggested that the government was on the back foot. The government has also said that it was open to reinstating the wealth tax, which was revised last year to narrow its scope. The measure was intended to improve the investment climate and boost growth and employment. But the accompanying flat tax rate on capital gains and dividends, besides limits on trade unions to negotiate wages, only served to reinforce Mr. Macron’s image as a President of the rich.

The yellow-vest protests have shone the light on France’s tax system, its rates said to be the highest in the European Union, and buttressed the demand for improvements in the standard of living. The government is committed to increasing the minimum wage from next year but could now face pressure for further concessions on social welfare. Conversely, Paris would also be constrained to demonstrate compliance with EU rules that set an annual fiscal deficit target of below 3% of GDP on member-states. Adherence to common norms would especially be on Brussels’s radar after the recent stand-off involving the Italian government. A concern linked to the withdrawal of the tax increase is the rise in France’s carbon emissions. The mass protests have, unwittingly, pitted the majority who would have been hit by the higher levy against the imperative to meet the Paris climate agreement targets. Mr. Macron, who has fashioned himself as a champion of the green cause, can realise the mission to combat global warming only by rallying his people. His ability to regain lost ground will determine the prospects of warding off the populist threat in the 2019 European Parliament elections. His handling of the challenges at home will crucially define his ambitions on the EU stage.

VOCABULARY

1) implement

Meaning : a tool, utensil, or other piece of equipment that is used for a particular purpose(n).

Tamil Meaning : செயல்படுத்த

Synonyms : achieve

Antonyms : ignore

Example : “garden implements”

2) trials

Meaning : a formal examination of evidence by a judge, typically before a jury, in order to decide guilt in a case of criminal or civil proceedings.

Tamil Meaning : சோதனை

Synonyms : effort

Antonyms : abstention

Example : “the newspaper accounts of the trial”

3) intimidation

Meaning : the action of intimidating someone, or the state of being intimidated.

Synonyms : coercion

Antonyms : encourage

Example : “the intimidation of witnesses and jurors”

4) undue

Meaning : unwarranted or inappropriate because excessive or disproportionate(adj).

Tamil Meaning : தகாத

Synonyms : extreme

Antonyms : appropriate

Example : “this figure did not give rise to undue concern”

5) abysmal

Meaning : extremely bad; appalling.

Synonyms : complete

Antonyms : low

Example : “the quality of her work is abysmal”

6) convictions

Meaning : a firmly held belief or opinion.

Tamil Meaning : நம்பிக்கைகளுடனும்

Synonyms : feeling

Antonyms : distrust

Example : “she takes pride in stating her political convictions”

7) hostile

Meaning : showing or feeling opposition or dislike; unfriendly.

Tamil Meaning : விரோதமாக

Synonyms : adverse

Antonyms : agreeable

Example : “a hostile audience”

8) acquittals

Meaning : a judgement or verdict that a person is not guilty of the crime with which they have been charged(n).

Tamil Meaning : தள்ளுபடி செய்யப்பட்டதை

Synonyms : absolution

Antonyms : retention

Example : “the trial resulted in an acquittal”

9) tardy

Meaning : delaying or delayed beyond the right or expected time; late.

Tamil Meaning : மெத்தனமாக

Synonyms : belated

Antonyms : early

Example : “please forgive this tardy reply”

10) gratifying

Meaning : give (someone) pleasure or satisfaction(v).

Tamil Meaning : திருப்திப்படுத்த

Synonyms : enchant

Antonyms : depress

Example : “she was gratified to see the shock in Jim’s eyes”

11) proactive

Meaning : (of a person or action) creating or controlling a situation rather than just responding to it after it has happened(adj).

Tamil Meaning : உயிர்ப்பான

Synonyms : aggressive

Antonyms : idle

Example : “employers must take a proactive approach to equal pay”

12) deserves

Meaning : do something or have or show qualities worthy of (a reaction which rewards or punishes as appropriate(v).

Tamil Meaning : உரியதாகும்

Synonyms : earn

Antonyms : fail

Example : “the referee deserves a pat on the back”

13) minutiae

Meaning : the small, precise, or trivial details of something.

Synonyms : incidental

Antonyms : generality

Example : “the minutiae of everyday life”

14) efficacy

Meaning : the ability to produce a desired or intended result.(v)

Synonyms : competence

Antonyms : inadequacy

Example : “there is little information on the efficacy of this treatment”

15) competent

Meaning : having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully(adj).

Tamil Meaning : தகுதிவாய்ந்த

Synonyms : adequate

Antonyms : impotent

Example : “a highly competent surgeon”

16) proximate

Meaning : nearly accurate; approximate.

Tamil Meaning : அருகில்

Synonyms : direct

Antonyms : distant

Example : “he would try to change her speech into proximate ladylikeness

17) testimony

Meaning : a formal written or spoken statement, especially one given in a court of law.(n)

Tamil Meaning : சாட்சியம்

Synonyms : affidavit

Antonyms : denial

Example : “the testimony of an eyewitness”

18) concealing

Meaning : not allow to be seen; hide.

Tamil Meaning : மறைத்து

Synonyms : obscure

Antonyms : disregard

Example : “a line of sand dunes concealed the distant sea”

19) vulnerable

Meaning : exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.(adj)

Tamil Meaning : பாதிக்கப்படக்கூடிய

Synonyms : accessible

Antonyms : protected

Example : “we were in a vulnerable position”

20) pose

Meaning : present or constitute (a problem or danger)(v).

Synonyms : posture

Antonyms : reality

Example : “the sheer number of visitors is posing a threat to the area”

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